


The Price of War: Lily

by Sirussly



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-26 23:25:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12069087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirussly/pseuds/Sirussly
Summary: Sirius is back. Marlene is gone. Lily watches.





	The Price of War: Lily

**Author's Note:**

> This was a bonus scene written for [The Price of War](https://sirussly.tumblr.com/post/165267661306/the-price-of-war-masterpost). Enjoy!

Lily remembers the night Euphemia passed away. She remembers how Sirius gripped James like an anchor, head bowed and trembling whilst James spoke to him low and intensely, his face dry of tears.

She watches the same scene play out before her from where she stands at the bottom of their staircase. Cold fear prickles at the back of her neck.

“Who?”

James' eyes meet hers and the confirmation in them makes her heart squeeze painfully. Sirius says nothing, head still bowed and every shuddering breath laced with sobs. _So then..?_

“Sit down mate, here, c'mon.” James guides Sirius to their sofa, lowers him gently. Lily crosses the room and kneels on the carpet in front of him, avoiding James and his sad eyes. 

“Sirius?” She takes his clasped hands in her own, rubs her thumb over the veins standing out on the back of them. “You can tell me.”

“I couldn't – I was too late, they got them all, I – I couldn't save her...” Lily rests her chin on Sirius' knee, unable to drag her eyes from a blonde strand of hair curled against the dark leather. “It's Marlene, Evans, they got Marlene...”

James' hand is warm on her shoulder. “Sirius, what do you mean they got them all?”

Sirius chokes and Lily sits swiftly beside him, cradling his head against her chest. She hears James inhale painfully, pictures him removing his glasses and pressing his fingertips against his eyelids. His voice shakes. “Who's going to tell Dorcas?”

“I can't -”

“She needs to know, mate.”

“But she – it was my cousin, how can I -”

“Sirius,” she mumurs into his hair. “It's better she hears it from you than someone else. You can do that much for her.” He pulls away from her, passing a shaking hand over his face. Lily doesn't think she's ever seen him look so old.

“We'll go at dawn,” James says. “Try and get a couple hours sleep in the meantime, yeah?” Sirius stands wordlessly and James moves towards him, placing a hand on the back of his neck in a gesture so innately brotherly that Lily looks away, eyes burning. 

Sirius pads quietly away and Lily can't raise her head, can't look at that sad face so full of concern and oh my god, Marlene's gone and how did that

“Lils.” The sofa dips, her cheeks are wet. the lump in her throat chokes her. “Lily.”

He pulls her against him, runs his fingers through her hair, whispers every comforting thing he can think of. She cries brokenly, silently, into his skin. James' eyes fill with tears too, for his friend, for his brother, for the woman in his arms he wanted so desperately to have been spared this. 

Upstairs, Harry begins wailing.


End file.
